Kaylana Fief's Facebook page is filled with photos highlighting two passions: her adorable daughter and cute critters of the sort she studies as an animal behavior student. But the way she allegedly combined the two has gotten Fief in trouble with the law. She's been cited with child abuse and a house where she'd been staying has been condemned, reportedly due to filth and feces associated with twenty animals found living there. More photos and details below.

On Facebook, Fief notes that she studies animal behavior at Front Range Community College; we're told (update) the kennel tech job also listed is no longer current. Her page shares a number of portraits like this one:

However, the majority of pics feature either her daughter, animals or both -- including multiple shots of rabbits, which are also front and center on Fief's Pixoto page.

Her intro to the page reads: "I'm a single mommy, raising my daughter so she can better the world. I believe in the beauty of life and only want to pass it on. Animals are my calling in life!"

She appeared to be caring for a lot of them. According to 9News, Federal Heights police, responding to a call from a neighbor about allegedly terrible conditions, arrived at what the station described as her house (something she denies below) to find fifteen rabbits, three dogs and two cats. The rabbits were caged, the station notes, but feces was said to be "overflowing into the living room, bathroom and other areas of the home."

Moreover, the entire home reportedly smelled strongly of urine, and feces and assorted filth was scattered across the floor as Fief's daughter pattered around on bare feet.

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The girl was otherwise found to be in good condition, and she and her mom were reunited at another location even after Fief received a citation on suspicion of child abuse. But representatives from the City of Federal Heights' building unit and the Tri-County Health Department determined that the house was "uninhabitable by humans," 9News notes. They subsequently condemned the property.

Update, 10:30 a.m. October 20: Moments ago, we spoke with Kaylana Fief, who confirmed that she received a child-abuse summons and that the house in question had been found unfit for human habitation. However, she says that it's not her house. Instead, she reveals that the home is owned by her parents and occupied by her grandparents, whom she was visiting. Fief maintains that she'd only been staying at the house for about a week when authorities arrived and stresses that the animals documented above belonged to her grandparents, not to her. Moreover, she notes that she and her daughter were never separated and remain together, despite the summons.

Michael Roberts has written for Westword since October 1990, serving stints as music editor and media columnist. He currently covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports and stories that defy categorization.

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